Catalyst Training FAQs

What is a Stenograph Certified Independent Training Agent (CITA)?

Stenograph’s CITAs are reporters, scopists, instructors and other court reporting professionals who enjoy teaching and have the desire to supplement their primary income by establishing a personal training business and offering Case CATalyst training services. As with any independent business, the CITA sets their rates, controls their schedule, determines what services they offer and when (e.g. whether they only provide one-on-one or are willing to teach to groups; whether they offer extensive custom file creation services; whether they’re available on weekends, evenings, during business hours, etc.)

Stenograph requires CITAs to be able to teach any function/feature in CATalyst and we request a specific agenda for new and new-to-Case CATalyst users. CITAs set custom agendas for all other training sessions. Stenograph ensures that each CITA meets a required level of knowledge about all facets of Case CATalyst software, enables them to stay updated and current on all developments, and gives them the ability to learn new features as needed. We provide some resources to support their business, including the ability to redeem training coupons.

How will the Certified Independent Training Agent know what to teach me?

When you contact a CITA, they will ask you questions to determine your background, needs, learning style, and assess your current level of CATalyst knowledge. They will confirm that you have the skills required to put out a transcript and will then recommend additional topics to enable you to be more productive, translate more accurately and/or produce pages faster and with greater efficiency.

How do I know which training agent to contact?

Check the listing to see which training agent is nearest you, or you may contact any agent that provides remote training services. If there is an agent closer to you than the agent you contacted, the agent you contact will recommend that you contact the nearest and most cost-effective provider. You can also contact your Sales Rep for a recommendation, or contact Cindi Lynch, Stenograph's Training Program Manager at training@stenograph.com for assistance.

Where does training take place?

That depends on what you arrange with your Certified Independent Training Agent. Some agents may offer to train you at your office or home, or provide a location for the training session.

What is remote training?

Remote training is live (not pre-recorded) training via internet-based application-sharing programs such as GoToMeeting, GoToAssist, JoinMe, Team Manager or similar. The training agent sends you a link that enables you to share your screen with them, so that they can see your files and provide instruction, just as though they were sitting next to you in the same room. Some training agents may also use a webcam.

Remote training can have several advantages vs. in-person training: no travel expenses are incurred. As no travel is required, it is easier to cost-effectively arrange multiple short sessions, regardless of the training agent's location and distance from you. If significant travel is involved, it is common for reporters to try to schedule as many hours of training as possible in one day, which isn't always the most productive way to learn.

The primary advantage to in-person training is that it is frequently easier to communicate in person vs. at a distance; your trainer can easily ""see"" whether or not you comprehend the instructions they've provided and whether you need additional assistance before moving on to the next topic.

How much will training cost? How many hours of training will I get per voucher/training coupon?

This varies: Certified Independent Training Agent set their own rates. Stenograph does not set or recommend minimum or maximum rates, nor does Stenograph require a certain amount of instruction per voucher/training coupon. The vouchers/coupons can be applied toward the cost of training. You must inquire about rates with the individual agent to determine the number of hours of instruction for your vouchers/coupons and fees for additional instruction.

Can I get state or national continuing education credit?

Yes, you can. Let your CITA know that you require documentation to apply for national and/or state continuing education credit at the time you schedule your training. Your CITA will provide you with that documentation and explain the process to complete and submit forms. Additional fees may be required, depending on the crediting authority.

Does everyone take training or do some people figure it out on their own?

There are some reporters who manage without professional training services. They use the Integrated Video Training, Training User Exercises, Self-Study Guides, Exceptional Extras as well as Case CATalyst Help to acquaint themselves with the steps to produce a transcript and to help themselves become more productive and efficient. If you prefer self-paced learning, these methods should be very beneficial. However, most reporters believe the best value is combining self-paced and guided training methods.

How much training is required to thoroughly learn Case CATalyst; to take full advantage of the software?

That depends on the individual and what they need to know to fulfill their job requirements. However, no matter what your job; whether you are a freelancer, work in court, scope, teach students, caption, provide CART, or any combination of those jobs; you will continue to learn about your CAT software for the rest of your career. Training is not something you do once, just to learn how to put out a transcript. Software constantly evolves (as do operating systems and hardware) and keeping up with technology is most efficiently accomplished with some guidance.

What more and more reporters elect to do is to take an hour of CAT training once per month for ten months out of the year, or two hours of training every other month, or half a day three times per year to total 10 hours of training per year. For most reporters, this fulfills their entire annual continuing education requirement.

I'm interested in becoming a CITA. Whom should I contact?

Contact your sales rep. When there is sufficient potential local training business in a particular area to support an independent training business, the sales rep will seek out interested candidates whom they believe would be good, professional, reliable partner to run an affiliated business in their territory, working with their customers. After carefully vetting candidates, the sales rep provides an assessment exercise for the candidate to complete and send to the training program manager for review. This assessment is a tool to determine the candidate’s current knowledge, strengths and weaknesses. The training manager reviews the assessment and determines whether or not the candidate has sufficient knowledge to become a certified training agent. If qualified, a date is set and the candidate attends an intensive “train-the-trainer” session at the Stenograph home office to fill any Case CATalyst knowledge gaps, review procedures and ensure that the candidate is as prepared as possible to successfully launch their Case CATalyst training business.

The sole purpose of this program is to help launch and then support private training businesses that will be affiliated with and work in partnership with their local Stenograph sales reps. It is not designed, intended or appropriate for an individual to “become a CITA” solely for the purpose of proving their knowledge or competence on the software (i.e. it is not “accreditation” like earning a CRR, CRC, CMR, RDR, etc.).

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